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Are you discerning with your time to increase productivity?

By a listed life coach

Published on 19th February, 2015

One excuse I hear over and over is lack of time.

Do you take responsibility for your time?

Do you know where your time goes? Do you spend it wisely or is your time in debt? It isn’t about finding time for important things; it’s about making time. Being busy and being productive are two different things.

Do you ask for help if you need it or are you too busy being a martyr?

It's crucial you value your time the same way you value money. It is a precious commodity.

Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

People will rarely value your time unless you value it. When you forget things or are late for appointments or are unprepared or take on too much and are not smart with your time, others will take advantage. This can leave you feeling frustrated, and this will chip away at your confidence. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Create a daily time journal – it is very revealing and the facts don’t lie.

Top tips

1. Make a list:

What is important?

What is urgent and important?

What is urgent but not important?

What is important but not urgent?

Important tasks have deadlines in the future, but they must be done. Don’t let them pile up, as they will end up urgent and important.

Urgent tasks are deadline-based. These are often driven by others and their urgency is not always related to importance.

2. Be ruthless about scheduling your priorities. Make sure you differentiate between important and urgent. Do what you dislike first – don’t spend time worrying about it, just do it.

3. Set aside uninterrupted time at home or at work when you can focus on the tasks in hand and break down any monster tasks into chunks. Value your time and set boundaries with others.

4. Organise your home and work space so you don’t waste any time searching for things.

You must make sure you are not putting off what needs to be done to achieve your visions, dreams and goals or your deadlines at work. If think about where you are undervaluing your time by giving it away, you can stay focused on your goals and make smarter choices about your time.

Remember that when you abuse your time, you are stealing from yourself, stealing from your future. I recommend you read Duncan Bannatyne’s excellent book How To Be Smart With Your Time.

You can accomplish what you set out to accomplish - once you've mastered how to take control of your time.

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expressed are those of the member who wrote the article.

Written by
a listed life coach

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